20 May 2005

Sinn Féin Transport spokesperson, Seán Crowe TD has said that Sinn Féin will use its Private Members Business time next week to call on the Government to retain the national airline, Aer Lingus, in State ownership. Deputy Crowe said "The sale of State's majority share represents a sell-out of the Irish taxpayer and of the workforce."

Speaking from his Dublin South West constituency today he said, "Next week Sinn Féin will use its Private Members‚ Business time to call on the Government to retain Aer Lingus in State ownership as the national airline.

"Aer Lingus is a very profitable airline. The claim that there is a need for privatisation to finance the development of the airline is a false one. It is being used as an excuse to advance the privatisation agenda of this Government - both Fianna Fáil and the PDs. Driven by their ideological privatisation agenda this Government is preparing to abandon a strategic national asset.

"The sale of State's majority share represents a sell-out of the Irish taxpayer and of the workfroce. The only beneficiaries from this will be multinational capital interests who are poised to exploit the company.

"You only need to look at the privatisation of Eircom which proved to be disastrous, benefiting only a handful of wealthy individuals, to see that the privatisation agenda only favours the speculative vultures who are only too ready to pounce on attractive state assets, which were built up over the years by the taxpayer and the workforce.

"Sinn Féin will oppose the privatisation of Aer Lingus and the privatisation agenda of this Government at every opportunity."ENDS